this post was submitted on 18 Nov 2025
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DIY HRT
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This community exists for trans people and others to give each other advice and support regarding HRT.
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Honestly, I'd have no idea how to get a consistent dosage with that. Aerosolized sprays have a lot of waste and inconsistent application, so I feel like every dose would be wildly inconsistent, and since it seems this particular route is made for cisgender women, I feel like getting a high enough dosage would be an issue. I'd think transdermal gels would be a better alternative, and those I know for a fact have been used on transgender women. Granted, I stand behind injections as the best method of administration, but different routes are for different people. I'd have to see some data on it before I could make any hard conclusions.
I'm from non UK Europe and from what I found, the only options for me to get are injections and spray and I can't use injections because of fear of needles.
If allowed to ask/answer, any idea on how to get gel (my preferred method following my research) in my region?
I had horrible fear of needles (would almost faint when blood was drawn for blood labs, for example), and basically came to terms with injections being necessary and learning how to injectand how to work with my phobia.
What made it possible for me to do injections was when I learned that you can inject subcutaneously with extremely thin needles - often I don't feel any pain when I inject, and you can use much shorter needles as well.
I have a whole list of tips I came up with when I was learning to overcome my extreme needle phobia, I'll share those in reply comments (there is too much for a single comment).
Thank you so much for the detailed answer. I think it could be a last resort, but my fear is a strong motivation to search alternatives.
I should add if you ever do injections it really helps to have a friend on your ear or present physically early on. I used to ask friends to sit with me in discord for my first shots.
I also wish to add I used to shake and at first couldn't even penetrate the skin because I was so scared. Wasted a few doses this way.
Now it's super easy. I have a little routine and it's very quick. A few minutes once per week.
+1 to having someone there who can ~~help~~ support you (for me other people being around made it worse, so I did it alone, but it was good to have someone nearby in case I fainted).
Also can confirm I would get so scared I just physically couldn't do it - this still happens to me sometimes. I find it helps to have eaten enough food just before (as well as hydrating significantly) - this is grounding and helps reduce chances I'll get faint or mentally struggle as much.
And also can confirm it gets easy over time - now it's no problem at all, I inject once a week and it's almost never dramatic or painful.
Also, might be good to have a little towel nearby in case you have a little blood come out - it didn't always happen, but early on I started with injections into my thigh, and my thighs are very vascular and I frequently would bleed from subq injections; now I inject in my belly (which was mentally something I had to work up to), and I have far less bleeding. Either way, just have something to catch a drip in case it happens.
They don't need to help! I just had them there for emotional support! But having someone who knows how to do shots there is ofc gonna be helpful too
yeah, sorry - I meant emotionally mostly - reworded it to make more sense
I was pretty afraid of what would happen if I fainted, so having someone nearby was supportive for me, and it makes sense in general to have emotional support in that moment.